Mail covering



Jan. 22, 19 35. w MacKlNNQN 1,988,908

MAIL COVERING Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 22, 1935'.

A. w. M KlNNON MAIL COVERING Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFEICE-yy 1 1,988,908 I j a. E W Arthur W. MacKinnon, Shreveport, La. I I

Application April 25, 1932, Serial M50738! 5 Claims. (o1.229-'11)- This invention relates to a new and useful mode of marking and identifying mailed matter not integral with its covering with the mailing record thereof, by durably aflixing the mailing 5 record upon the mailed matterand improvements in envelopes and more particularly to the mode of marking and identifying mailed matter not integral with its covering with the mailing record thereof, by coverings provided with an altered section permitting the durable afiixing of the mailing record upon' the mailed matter therein contained.

The general purpose of the invention is tosup- I ply positive and permanent evidence of mailing "to mailed matter'and to provide an improved mail covering, envelope or wrapper whereby a mailing identification upon the mailed enclosure is obtained.

The invention therefore relates toa mail covering construction having an altered section in the postage receiving area of its mailing face which is so arranged and formed that the enclosedmailing matter will carry the mailing record, placed upon the message or package during its transmittal, when the enclosure is withdrawn from the covering. 1

It is an object of my invention to provide an authentic identification upon mailing matter which passes through the mail in an outer covering or envelope, the identification consisting of the mailing recordplaced by the post office upon the message or package during its transmittal.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an envelope construction, which will ensure and permit the permanent afiixing of the mailing record, placed upon the message during its transmittal, to theenclosure or letter.

A further object of my invention is theprovision of an altered section in the mailing record area of an envelope which is adapted .to temporarily secure the envelope to its enclosure during transmittal through the mail and to ensure permanent affixing of the mailing record to the enclosure before removal of the enclosure from the envelope.

According to the prior mailing practice where letters, packages and the like are sent through the mail enclosed in a separate envelope or covering, the postage is affixed to and becomes a permanent part of such covering. The postage is usually placed at the upper riglit-hand corner of the mailing face carrying the address, in accordance with custom and postal regulations.- This postage and the adjacent surface-of the ,mailing face .of the coverin which together I broadly termthe mailing record area, receiv,e,

the imprint ofthe 'post ofiice cancellation-, --post-.;

mark and the like. ,After. such covering has been freed from its contents thereis no positive means of identifying such contents with such mailing record, nor is v there anyother positive evidence that such contents have beenymailed; At considi-irable expense, governments continue tocause cancellationand-postmarkingin a manner which serves to deface-suoh-postage and record information which has'to do with the manner of dispatching, time of day, date; epoch, or place and'thelike of .mailing or receivingof such mailed matten- Primarily such recorded informationis intended for governmental postal purposes as evidence of service, but it is often of value to theaddressee or recipient of the mailed matter as evidenced by the preserving of envelopes and-:the like for the postal mailing record thereon, Such;- service or record if made positively identifiable with the enclosed mailed subject-matter would be most valuable to the public and governmentalagencies.

To my knowledge, heretofore there has been no practical or convenient l-meansywhereby such function, may be accomplished withmatter mailed in coverings not integral with such covering. This difficulty is obviated by my: inventionin a simple and effective manner;

'By the means employed comprising my inven-. tion I am enabled'to'produce such; positive and permanent authoritative identification of matter mailed in coverings not integral with such covering; Such-means entails no extra governmental expense or inconvenience and conforms withex isting postal regulations,-except forcertain rules in certain cases to which reference will be later made herein.

While my invention is suitable for use in connection with the mailing or its equivalent of, all manner of articles enclosed in coverings of paper or the like, I will describe it; as applied to the mailing of letters, as the mailed matter, inenve-v lopes as the covering. The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in that form.

The essential characteristic of an envelope constructed according to my invention resides in analteredsection in the wall of the envelope positioned' to correspond with and of a size and form determined by the mailing record area thereof. The altered section comprises the areas custom arily covered by the postage, cancellation, and for the postmark, .andis designed so that upon the positioning and aflixingf of the mailing rec 0rd upon the message during its transmittal, the mailing record will be permanently fixed to the contents of the envelope and remain in situ on the contents upon the withdrawal of the latter from the envelope.

The letter, or the like, and its envelope, or covering, while in the mail are herein referred to as the message.

Other detailed objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings; preferred embodiments of my invention are illustrated.

tion;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 22'of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on anenlarged scale taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an orthographic projectional'viewin elevation reduced in scale of an opened envelope of the type shown in Fig. 1 with the letter enclosurefreed from the envelope and retaining the -mailing record as an integral part thereof;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an envelope embodying a modification of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional'view on line 6- of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an envelope embodying another preferred modification of my invention;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional viewon line 8-8 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is an illustration of the blank from which an envelope is made, showing present customary mailing record area location. 7

Referring now to the drawings, in carrying out my invention, an envelope 1 of customary construction, formed, for example, from a blank 4 (Fig. 9) may be used. The envelope is provided with an altered section in the facethereof.

In designing the altered section in the mailing face of the envelope, the location of an area 5 receiving postage 7, is first determined, together with the area 9 surrounding or adjacent to the area 5 and customarily receiving the imprint of the post ofiice markings, consisting of the can cellation 10 and the postmark 11 or the like. These combined areas 5 and 9'which I term collectively as the mailing record area, determine the size, form, and location of the altered section 12 of my improved envelope. In the event governmental or delivery agencies prescribe or permit areas for post oflice or other markings other than adjacent the postage area'fi, such regulation will determine thelocation, form, and size of altered section 12.

The altered section 12 of my improved envelope is that area of the wall or mailing face of the envelope within the bounds of all alterations within or upon the wall contemplated in carrying out my invention. 1 I V In the modification of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, the altered section 12 consists of that area of the envelope wall defined by boundary 13, which may be a weakened, perforated or tearing line. This boundary 13 is preferably spaced outwardiyi'rom areas Band/or 9 at a suitable marginal distance therefrom. By the expression weakened, perforated or tearing line or simply the term "tearing line as used elsewhere in this specification and inthe claims to follow, it is intended to cover any equivalent construction, which has for its object the separation of the body of the envelope 1 from. such al- Fig. 1 is a front view of one form of my inven tered section 12 by tearing, including a stringed, wired or taped line and the like.

Within the altered section bounded by line 13, a cut-out portion 14 is provided in the wall of the envelope 1, of a size approximately corresponding to the predetermined mailing record area. A border or marginal tearing strip 16 extending between line 15 bounding the cut-out portion and the tearing line 13 is provided with adhesive or gumming 17.

Now it will be seen that the purpose of the opening formed by the cut-out section 14 is to permit the placing and ailixing of postage '7 directly upon the contained letter 18 of the envelope 1, and that the purpose of the gumming 1'7 on'the back ofthe marginal tearing strip 16 is to permit such gummed marginal tearing strip 16 to be adhesively aflixed upon the letter 18 and to'securely close the opening of the cut-out section 14 and to integrate the wall of such envelope 1. I

It will also be apparent that the further purpose of the gummed marginal tearing strip 16, so adhesively attached to and affixed upon the contained letter 18, is to permit and assist, when the envelope 1 is opened, the freeing of the contained letter 18 from the main body of such envelope 1 at the provided tearing line 13, thereby permitting the altered section 12 within the bounds of such tearing line 13 together with the mailing record completed in the course of mailing, to remain in situ on the contained letter 18 and to be permanently aifixed to letter 18, whereby the said letter 18 may be positively and permanently marked and identifiable with authoritative evidence of mailing at a particular time and place, etc. I

It will be seen that the configuration of the altered section of my improved envelope may be used for the purpose intended in various forms.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, wherein another form of altered section is illustrated, an open window of a shape and size of the usual mailing record area is formed in envelope 111 by a cut-out section'l ia bounded by line 15a.

At the present time, the United States postal regulations preclude the use of window envelopes where the edge of the window is less than one and three-eighths inchesfrom the top edge or nearer than three-eighths of an inch from any edge of such envelope. It is evident, therefore, that envelopes with altered sections of the type of Figs. 5 and 6 are not suitable at the present time for use in the United States when the mailing record is desired within the prescribed. limits from the top of such envelope, hence, for the present, the utility of such type of altered section is confined to coverings other than small envelopes.

It will now be understood that a further object of my invention is the provision of arrangements designed to comply with current section 109 of the United States Postal Laws and Regulations which contains the provisions to which reference is made above.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs, 7 and 8, a tearing line 13b is provided in the wall of the envelopes mailing face in the same manner as line 13 shown in Fig. 1. This tearing line 13b defines a rectangular section 1217 in the mailing face of the envelope 1b which I term the altered section. The reverse side of this section is provided with a suitable adhesive or gumming 17b.

It will now be seen that section 12b is adapted to receive postage 7 and/or the mailing record completed during the course of mailing, that the purpose of the gumming 17b is to aflix the altered section 1212 securely and permanently upon the enclosed letter 18b and that tearing line 13b permits the enclosed letter, together with the aflixed mailing record, to be freed from the body of the envelope. This form of altered section should comply with the requirements of section 109 of the Postal Laws referred to above.

In carrying out my invention by the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the letters or the like may have afiixed to them before being placed within their covering, part or all of the required postage or premailing record. The form of my invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8 may be incorporated into stamped envelopes or stamped envelope blanks of customary construction.

It may be desirable in some instances, though it is not essential, to have the altered section of my improved envelope of different color or shade from the main body of the envelope or the altered section outlined by a color contrasting with that of the body of such envelope.

For the purpose of this specification and the claims to follow, the term mailing record is intended to include the postage and the impression of cancellation, postmark, and any other marking of mailing, collectively or in any combination less than the whole, which it may be desired to preserve or cause to be preserved to give the identifiable evidence of mailing desired, including any permissible private marking. The term mailing record areas is intended to include areas of the wall of the envelope customarily covered by the mailing record, in Whole or in part. For the same purpose, the term suitable gumming or gumming is intended to cover the provision of an applied adhesive coating which may be the customary adhesive applied to the envelope flaps, or its equivalent.

Having thus described the form of altered section of my improved envelope, it will be understood that the method of use of coverings carrying such altered section will be quite apparent to a user, who has a varied choice of the part of his enclosure to be positioned to receive such mailing record. It will also be apparent to a user when a gummed element is a part of such altered section that sealing is accomplished in the usual manner. It will likewise be quite apparent to the recipient when a tearing line is an element of such altered section, that tearing is required at the tearing line.

My invention has many important special uses and is suitable and desirable for general use inmailing and the like. The invention may be used to advantage in the mailing of documents, legal and otherwise, of military orders, of Patent Ofiice records and various other governmental mailings and communications. The desirability for general use will become apparent with the general recognition of the real value of such aflixed mailing record.

From the above description of my improved envelope it is clear that novel means are provided, whereby mailed matter not integral with its covering may be positively and permanently identified with authoritative evidence of such mailing.

It is to be understood that various changes in arrangements may be resorted to and that I consider all variations which may be made under the teaching of this invention to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a covering for obtaining a mailing record upon its enclosure and having that part of its mailing face surrounding the mailing record area of continuous integral construction, a separable portion formed integral with the covering and located for reception of the mailing record, said portion being of substantially the same size and shape as the mailing record, defined by a tearing line and provided with an adhesive on its reverse side for securing the same to the enclosure.

2. In a covering for obtaining a mailing record upon its enclosure having that part of its mailing face surrounding the mailing record area of continuous integral construction, an altered section having a. cut-out portion which cut-out is substantially coextensive with the mailing record area, a border extending around the cut-out portion, a tearing line constituting the outer edge of said border, and an adhesive on the reverse side of said border adapted to secure said border to the enclosure.

3. In a mail covering for obtaining a mailing record upon its enclosure, an altered section comprising a continuous unitary border enclosing the usual mailing record area, a tearing line constituting the outer edge of said border, and an adhesive on the reverse side of said border adapted to secure said border to the enclosure.

4. A covering for obtaining a mailing record upon the enclosed letter or the like and having a portion adapted to receive the mailing record thereon, that part of the mailing face surrounding the mailing record area being of continuous integral construction, said portion being provided with a tearing line, and an adhesive backing for said portion of the covering within the confines of said tearing line for securing the same to an enclosed letter.

5. In a covering for obtaining a mailing record upon its enclosure and having that part of its mailing face surounding the mailing record area of continuous integral construction, an altered section having a cut-out portion for reception 8 of the mailing record, a border extending around the cut-out portion, a tearing line constituting the outer edge of said border, and an adhesive on the reverse side of said border adapted to secure said border to the enclosure.

ARTHUR W. MACKINNON. 

